A
considerable amount of work has focused on early structural brain development
in ASD utilizing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This body of work has
revealed evidence for brain overgrowth during the early postnatal years that
appears largely absent later in development in ASD. Although several studies of
cortical brain structure in adolescence and young adulthood in ASD have been
completed, the vast majority has utilized cross-sectional (i.e., one point in
time) designs. In one of the first studies to examine longitudinal (i.e.,
following the same subjects over time) cortical development in ASD during late
adolescence and early adulthood, researchers found an exaggeration of the
normal thinning of the cortex that occurs during this age range. Moreover, this
increased cortical thinning was associated with greater executive function
problems (based on behavioral ratings) and ASD social symptoms. This study
suggests that the atypical trajectory of cortical/brain development in ASD
extends well beyond young childhood and into late adolescence and young
adulthood. More work is needed to understand brain development during the
transition from adolescence into adulthood and beyond.

Notes
for editorsFull text of the article is available to credentialed
journalists upon request; contact Mary Billingsley at +1 202 587 9672 or mbillingsley@jaacap.org.
Journalists wishing to interview the authors may contact Dr. Gregory L. Wallace
at gwallac1@gwu.edu.

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About JAACAP Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent
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